Nimatullahi

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Shah Nimatullah Wali · 1390 · Iran (Mahan, Kerman)

What it is

The Nimatullahi order is a Persian Sufi order named after Shah Nimatullah Wali (born Aleppo 1330 CE, died 1431 CE, buried at Mahan near Kerman), founded at the end of the fourteenth century. The order describes its master as a descendant of the Prophet; scholars note his teacher was the Yemeni Sufi…

Format

• The order publishes no stage manual or session counts. Two frames are relevant: the path as the order describes it, and the therapist's process around it.
• Seeker. A person attends gatherings at a khaniqah or online meetings and reads discourses and poetry. Goal: acquaintance with the path. Visitors are referred to the "Visit a center" contact route.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the therapist's own views on religion steering the client.
• do not assume harm from devotion; do not ignore reported abuse.
• shame that keeps the client away from the khaniqah after a lapse.
• helping that becomes self-neglect, people-pleasing or burnout; guilt about not doing enough.
• the client deferring to you as a spiritual authority; any pull for you to adjudicate doctrine.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.